Jahan Dotson wants to prove the Falcons — and himself — right

FLOWERY BRANCH — Jahan Dotson scrunches his face, racks his brain and reaches a conclusion: “Prove” isn’t the right word for what he wants to do with the Falcons.

Dotson, a first-round pick in 2022, has experienced the rewarding highs of being one of the best receivers in his draft class and on his team. And four years into his career, he’s also battled the frustrating lows of being overlooked, a complementary-at-best target in a deep receiving corps.

The 26-year-old Dotson, who’s expected to start at receiver opposite Drake London, has an advantageous opportunity this fall. He feels he has a coaching staff — and locker room — who believe in him, and he wants to do what he knows he can, which is make plays on Sundays. That, after all, is why the Falcons signed him to a two-year, $15 million contract this spring.

So, maybe “prove” is, in fact, the right word.

“I’m not really trying to prove anything to anyone. Prove something to myself that I know what I can do,” Dotson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution during minicamp. “I’ve played a lot of good football. I feel like I have a lot of good football ahead of me. I’m ready to show everyone that.”

Dotson entered the league with lofty expectations, and he initially showed promise of meeting them. Drafted No. 16 overall by the Commanders, Dotson caught 35 passes for 523 yards and seven touchdowns across 12 games as a rookie. He followed with a similarly productive second season, tallying 49 receptions for 518 yards and four scores in 2023.

Then came the eye-opener.

The Commanders traded Dotson, who was in line to start once again, to the division-rival Eagles in August 2024. It brought a change of cities, coaching staffs and roles — along with a significant mindset shift.

For the first time in his career, Dotson had to take a backseat to established starters A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

“A younger me wouldn’t have handled that well,” Dotson said. “But as I’ve grown older and wiser and realize what I’m doing it for and all the things that really matter — at the end of the day, it’s just about getting better. No matter if you’re getting the ball or not, come to work every single day and get better.

“I feel like that’s the reason I’m ready for this opportunity.”

What Dotson lost in production — across two years, 34 games and 16 starts with the Eagles, he totaled only 37 catches for 478 yards and one touchdown — he gained in wisdom. Sharing a meeting room with Brown and Smith, who have a combined nine seasons above 1,000 receiving yards, gave Dotson a look at the process and mindset behind elite results.

If Smith had a quiet game, he’d be mad about it. Then, after stewing over it for the next week, he’d follow with a big performance. Though Smith and Brown were both even-keeled and never swung too far on either end of the emotional pendulum, Dotson learned the unrelenting hunger and day-to-day approach necessary to be an elite wideout.

“A lot of people call receivers divas,” Dotson said. “In your own right, we are. We all want the ball. We all want to make plays for the team. I feel like that’s just the passion in us and how much we care about the game, and you really saw that in those two.”

Dotson said Smith and Brown treated every practice like a game, and they subsequently made plays every day.

“It’s something I brought with me here,” Dotson said. “Coming out to practice every single day and try to make plays.”

Dotson grew to understand the value in maximizing opportunities. He always had to be ready whenever his number was called, because if he wasn’t, the proverbial phone would ring less and less. So, he worked. With work came confidence. With confidence came performance.

Now, opportunity is calling once more. Dotson feels prepared for a bigger dose of targets, though he’ll likely fall behind London, tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson in the pecking order.

Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said he feels like “it’s clicked” for Dotson, who’s flashed throughout his career. Cunningham, who was in the Bears’ front office when Dotson entered the draft, remembers his speed, playmaking ability and punt-return experience — all of which makes him a quality piece to the team’s offensive puzzle.

“Bringing him here, it gives him a chance to showcase what he’s capable of doing and what he was kind of building up to in his time at Washington,” Cunningham said in March. “And it fits our offense. It complements Drake, it complements Bijan and it also compliments Kyle.”

One member of the Falcons’ front office is already innately familiar with Dotson. Assistant general manager Jeff Scott spent the past five years in Philadelphia and saw Dotson’s two-year stint with the Eagles firsthand.

The Falcons, Scott said, are trying to push a mantra rooted in competition. And if nothing else during their two years together, Dotson proved to Scott he’s a strong culture fit for the identity the Falcons hope to establish.

“I think Jahan really has an opportunity here to be kind of the player that he’s always been,” Scott said in minicamp. “He works hard, he is consistent, he’s a good person. That’s what we’re trying to build, and he’s got a great opportunity.”

Receiver Olamide Zaccheaus is no stranger to competing with Dotson. The two New Jersey products practiced alongside each other during the summer of 2024 with the Commanders, and Zaccheaus said he’s well aware of the potential Dotson brings.

“I’m just excited for him to get an opportunity,” Zaccheaus said during OTAs. “I think he’s going to do big things this year.”

Falcons passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand, who works closely with the team’s receivers, said he likes Dotson’s versatility, speed and ability to play bigger than his 5-foot-11, 184-pound frame.

The Falcons are still learning the specifics of what Dotson likes to do, where he excels and how best to maximize him, but coach Kevin Stefanski said this spring he’s excited about Dotson’s skill set and the production he’s delivered with the opportunities he’s been given.

“I think he’s a young man that has a lot in him,” Stefanski said. “Real speed, real separation ability. So, excited about Jahan.”